Fear, Patriotism, Secrets, Propaganda, Control
It is often said that the winners are the writers of history. Both ordinary citizens and international leaders have engaged in and relied upon intelligence to protect their nations, understand their enemies and friends, and make historic decisions.
Espionage is not new. Ancient Espionage 1300 BCE to CE Ancient civilizations made use of spies and spycraft to gain dominance in the world. Examples: Sun Tzu s classic handbook The Art of War describes 5 kinds of spies. Consider the Greeks ultimate deception in the case of the Trojan Horse.
Spies at Court By the 1500s, the royal use of espionage and codes was established in courts across Europe. International Spy Museum
Why might ordinary people be more willing to spy during a period of conflict than during times of peace?
1800s The Civil War and the Dreyfus Affair The Civil War was fought both on battlefields and in the shadows. Visual intelligence captured by balloonists and photojournalists during the war aided the war effort. Prejudice played a major role in the French case against Captain Alfred Dreyfus in the 1890s. Dreyfus was accused of selling secrets to Germany, and, due to forged evidence, was convicted by an anti-semitic court. He spent 12 years in prison on Devil s Island before being pardoned after writer Emile Zola rallied artists to his cause.
The overhead imaging that began with the pigeon camera has evolved into the use of spy satellites today. What is the value of aerial reconnaissance in battle?
In 1917, the Bolshevik revolution reshaped Russia and the world. Russian leaders had made use of secret police for centuries, but the Soviet-established Cheka brought homeland spying and terror to a new level. Propaganda films and glamorization of espionage were rampant during this time. The mood turned bleak as red and Nazi spies begin operating in the U.S. in the lead-up to World War II.
By World War II, many countries had established intelligence networks and organizations. Both World Wars I and II challenged collaborating nations to align their armies and spy networks. The British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) worked together during WWII to deceive, subvert, and sabotage the Germans. Codes were broken to crack ciphers. Famous people, such as Josephine Baker, Julia Child, and Moe Berg, worked for Allied intelligence during the war. Operation Bodyguard, the GARBO network, and other deceptions made D-Day a success.
Do you think it is patriotic to spy for your country? Why or why not? Winston Churchill said, In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies. What does this mean? What Axis and Allied successes could be attributed to the bodyguard of lies provided by espionage? The American government launched a major propaganda campaign to increase public awareness of security issues.
In conventional wars, armies battle in plain sight. In the Cold War, spies and governments wrestled in the shadows. From 1945 to 1991, this new type of conflict prevailed, fought not by soldiers but by information gatherers, informants, and other covert agents. The Cold War may have been intelligence s finest hour; due to key information gathered, American and Soviet leaders avoided escalating their conflict into full-blown warfare.
Congressional hearings and Senator Joseph McCarthy targeted suspected Communists. Key communist spies: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Alger Hiss Elizabeth Bentley Whittaker Chambers Discussion: Assess the reaction of government officials and civilians to communism in America. How do you think the threat of atomic war affected perspectives towards communism in the U.S.?
It is the responsibility of the federal government to protect its citizens and interests. Good intelligence, or information, about threats to our national security whether from within our country or from abroad is considered our first line of defense. All three branches of government and 14 federal agencies play critical roles in national security and intelligence issues. In the U.S., the Executive Branch role can be seen in intelligence collection, analysis, covert action, and domestic spy catching (counterintelligence). The Legislative Branch provides congressional oversight of intelligence agencies. The Judicial Branch reviews spy cases and performs trials.
CITATION: International Spy Museum SPY Educator Resources\Spy Museum Educator Spy Guides
ACTIVITY: Document Analysis Think about these questions as you explore the documents: Why was being a Communist considered an an un-american activity? What evidence eventually proved the Rosenbergs guilty of espionage? Did their punishment fit their crime?